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Welcome to Pulse, a monthly newsletter from the community. It’s a curated snapshot of interesting stories in culture from the previous month, stories that are driving conversations, making waves or changing perspectives, all through the POV of our strategy team. The content you’ll see here includes highlights from two larger curated newsletters that we send our clients every month.
So with that, let’s dive into highlights from April—
Nature vs Nurture: Latinx edition
In a recent NYT advice column, Caucasian parents asked whether their son should check the Hispanic/Latino box in his college applications, since his egg donor is Latin American. This brought some social media backlash on the anonymous parents, but also raised real questions about whether race/ethnicity is purely genetic or more about lived experience. While cases on the fringes of racial/ethnic groups like this one always spark controversy, they also bring about much needed debate about the nuances of the topic. Are we too quick to judge people in these situations? Or is it justified? Read more from mitú here.
What’s that Oprah meme worth to you?
NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are the latest tech-craze. And some may think you'd have to be actually crazy to buy something that (1) has no tangible value (2) you can't exclusively own, and (3) is a fart (seriously, someone bought farts). While they may or may not be right, dismissing NFTs as a silly fad means failing to learn how our understanding of value continues to evolve. As experts in intangible value, should the new marketing benchmark be creating work that people are willing to pay for, even if they don't own it? Read more on The Atlantic here.
Easy as ABC, Uno-Dos-Tres
Many US-born Hispanics speak only Spanish when they're little, which creates a unique experience and some confusion once they start school with kids from other cultures and Latinx backgrounds. This is why Romina Puga created Club Mundo Kids, a new bilingual children's show that answers questions on topics like space exploration, endangered species and why some kids say 'choclo' and others say 'maíz.' As more brands court the Latinx consumer, they should ask themselves: Does my process allow for Hispanic voices within my organization and from my agency partners to best tap into these nuances? Read more on NBC News here.
And that’s your first edition of Pulse on LinkedIn and our website—thanks for reading!
